Fast Food Restaurant Reportedly Fires Teen for Giving a Vet Free Food

A teenager's kind gesture for a veteran ultimately cost him his job, says a Jack in the Box worker accused of "mishandling funds."

Two-year employee Alex Mesta knew the regulars at the Bakersfield, California location, including one veteran who usually stopped for coffee during his graveyard shift. The 19-year-old gave the man a cup of coffee and two tacos on the house, and now claims management fired him after surveillance cameras caught the thoughtful gesture.

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"I know what I did wasn't right to them," Mesta later told KERO. "But to me, it felt right." Since the leftover food would soon end up in the garbage, $4 worth of freebies seemed a small price to pay for the vet's sacrifices.

Mesta's not alone in thinking his termination was unjustified. A Facebook post describing the incident soon went viral, with over 9,000 shares and commenters threatening to boycott the fast food chain. "This is a story that I feel the community needs to know," the status reads. "You cannot punish this young man for doing what he felt was right in his heart."

"We too are grateful to our veterans and to the men and women currently serving in the armed forces. Regarding this incident, while it would not be appropriate to provide complete details on an internal disciplinary issue, our actions in this case were not based on just one incident and had nothing to do with the guest's military experience."